20 Sneaky Ways to Lose Weight

Try these sly strategies to shed pounds without living at the gym.

GettyMegan Tatem

Imported LayersCreated with Sketch.

By Giannina Smith Bedford

Jun 17, 2016

Eat less; exercise more. We've heard it a million times. In reality, we don't always have the time (or willpower) to stick to a weight-loss regime. Don't fret. As the summer months approach and you pull your bathing suit out of storage, you can enact some of these sly strategies to shed pounds without living at the gym.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

1
Chew, chew, chew.

It takes about 20 minutes for satiety signals to reach the brain, so don't scarf down that burger in 15 minutes flat. Chew slowly to give yourself a chance to feel full and help move food through the digestion process. Plus, it's been said that the most satisfying bites of a meal are the first few. Having a hard time slowing down? Sip water between bites.

Getty Images

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

2
Wear tight jeans.

We all have a few pairs of skinny jeans that only button when we lay down. Get these in your regular rotation as a reminder to eat right. If you have to release a button by the end of the day, you know you need to improve your meal plan.

Getty Images

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

3
Plate food properly.

Instead of using large dinner plates for entrees of pasta and steak, serve calorie-rich foods on smaller salad plates and save the extra real estate for healthy veggies instead (and gobble them up first). Experts agree, the larger the plate, the more we eat so fill up on low-calorie foods first.

Getty Images

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

4
Drink more H2O.

According to a study published in the Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, people who drank three extra cups of water per day ate an average of 205 fewer calories than people who drank the standard 4.2 cups of water per day. The guzzlers also consumed less sugar, fat, sodium and cholesterol.

Getty Images

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

5
Admire your reflection.

Staring at your own reflection might just be what you need to help cut calories. According to a study from Cornell University's Food and Brand Lab in the Journal of the Association for Consumer Research, the presence of a mirror in the dining room makes you think differently about consuming extra calories, reducing "the perceived tastiness of unhealthy food, which consequently reduces its consumption." There you have it: A decorating and weight-loss tip in one.

Getty Images

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

6
Turn the TV off.

Everyone loves dinner and a movie, but parking it in front of the tube for a meal can lead to overeating. A report published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition supports this claim and researchers at the University of Birmingham in the U.K. found that, on average, distracted eating can increase the amount eaten by about 10 percent.

Getty Images

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

7
Switch hands.

Put that fork in your non-dominant hand and you're likely to eat more slowly—which could also result in eating less.

Getty Images

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

8
Limit variety, temporarily.

Variety isn't always the spice of life when trying to lose weight. Dawn Jackson Blatner, RD, a Chicago dietitian and author of The Flexitarian Diet, says variety could actually make you eat more. Blatner's advice is backed by published studies, including one in France that found participants ate more fries when they were offered ketchup and mayonnaise along side for dipping. Other research has found that eating a diet with limited variety can help maintain weight loss.

Getty Images

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

9
Turn down the heat.

Keep your thermostat at about 61 to 63 degrees Fahrenheit and you may encourage fat burning. Numerous studies support this research, including one published in The Journal of Clinical Investigation showing people who spent two hours a day for six weeks in a 63-degree room burned more energy than those who spent time in warmer temps. According to research in the journal Trends in Endocrinology and Metabolism, spending time in chilly temperatures can boost calorie burn by 30 percent.

Getty Images

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

10
Talk yourself down.

Sometimes we open the fridge looking for answers and end up consuming unnecessary calories. Before heading for the cooler, decide what you're going to retrieve and stick to it. If nothing comes to mind, you probably aren't hungry, just bored, so find another activity to entertain you.